Stringed musical instrument.



N. R. BOSWELL & E. D, WILBER.

STRINGE D MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 23. 1914.

Patented Jan. 11, 1916.

2 SHEETS SHEET 1.

INVENTORS WITNESSES v Aaihanwl 7?. 5oswe// W I ATTORNEYS COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON, D. c.

N. R BOSWELL & E. D. WILBER. STRNGED MUSlCAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.23. I914.

v Patented Jan. 11, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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// A7TOHNEY8 WITNESSES I nhriranrnn manner 1 osw LL AND STATES. PATENT OFFICE- nnwrn have) waters, or DELANSON, NE ZYORKK. i i I all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatwe,NArHANmLR. Bos- WELL and EDWIN D. WILBER, both citizens of the United States, and residents of Delanson, in the county of Schenectady and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Stringed Musical Instrument,

' of which the following is a full, clear, and

exact description.

The object ofthe invention is to provide a new and improved stringed musical instrument arranged to enable the beginner to learn to play the instrument in a comparatively short time. We accomplish this by providing a vmovable finger adapted to produce chords when-placed upon the strings at certain places,

In order to produce the desired result, use is made of a body having a neckand a head, sets of strings stretched over the said body and tuned one for producing a minor chord,,another for producinga diminished chord anda thirdfor. producing a major chord, indicating frets on thesaid neck .and a movable finger in the form of "a steel bar in the hand of the player andadapted to be set across any one'set of strings opposite an. indicatingv fret to, permit of. sounding a plucking or twanging desiredchord when the corresponding set of strings.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 isa plan view of the stringed musical instrument; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same with a portion of the body shown in section; Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross section of the same on theline 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the instrument and showing more particularly the application of the movable finger; and Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the instrument in position when being applied.

The stringed musical instrument in its general construction consists of a comparatively flat body A of approximately guitar shape, from the upper end of which extends a neck B terminating in a head C. Over the body A are stretched three sets of strings D, D and D of which the first set of strings D is composed of five strings selected and tuned to produce a minor chord when played, the second set of strings D "ism nines]: ivrusioani-nsfrnomniqrQ j i specification tr Leiter jr tem', v I Application filed September 23,1914. "Serial no.

atented J n- 11, 916,

is ".lcomposed of five strings selected and tuned tonpr'oduce a diminished chord when being played, and the third set of strings D is composed of seven strings selected. and tuned to produce a major chord when played. The set of strings D are e, g, b, e, g, the set of strings D are 9,66, c#, e, and g, and the third set of strings D are 9, f, d, g, b, d, g. The sets of strings D, D and D are securedat their lower ends to a tailpiece Eand extend from the latter over a bridge F to and over a saddle Garranged at the junction of the neck B with the head C, and then the strings engage the usual tuning devices H mounted in the head C. The neck B is provided on its upper surface with a fret board I provided with frets I, preferably successively numbered, as shown in Fig.- 1. The bridge F and the saddle G are of such height relative to the frets I that thefstrings D, D D are approximately half aninch above the said frets and hence the said strings are not presseddown upon the frets as the latter are indicating frets and by the player. and placed transversely on top of any one set of strings D,'D D

directly above a corresponding indicating fret I for playing the corresponding chord in any one key. It is understood that the player presses the movable finger J with suflicient force into engagement with the sets of strings D, D and D to prevent the latter from rattling when plucked or twanged by the player in the general manner, but it is expressly understood that the strings are not pressed downward into contact with the indicating frets I.

The body A is provided at the inside with transverse ribs K, as indicated in Fig. 2, and a longitudinal bar L is disposed between the top and bottom of the body A and at its ends attached to blocks L, L secured to the upper and lower'ends of the body A, as plainly indicated in Figs. 2 and 3.

When it is desired to play the instrument the player lays the instrument across the lap, as shown in Fig. 5, and takes hold with the left hand of the movable finger J and places the same with its bottom edge across a set of strings opposite an indicating fret. This set of strings is now plucked or twanged with the right hand of the player to produce the desired chord 111 any desired key indicated by the corresponding indicating fret I The movable finger J is not used when any one of the sets of strings is to be played with open strings, that is, with the strings uninterrupted from the bridge F to the saddle G. For instance, when the major set of strings D are played open then the chord of G is produced, and by placing the entire finger J across the said strings at the indicating fret I marked 5 and then playing the said strings the chord of C is produced.

It is understood that any one single string of any one of the sets of strings D, D or D can be sounded in any key by the use of the movable finger J and the twanging of such string.

Having thus described our invention, we

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A stringed musical instrument, comprising a body, a neck, a head provided with tuning means, a bridge, a tail piece and three sets of strings stretched over the said body and connected with the said tuning means and the said tail piece, the said sets of strings being selected and tuned, one for producing a minor chord, another for producing a diminished chord, and the third for producing a major chord.

2. A stringed musical instrument, comprising a body, a neck, a head, sets of strings stretched over said body, indicating frets arranged on said neck below said strings, and a manually controlled movable finger adapted to engage any one set of strings opposite any one of said indicating frets,

said strings being spaced from said indicating frets a sufficient distance to prevent contact of the strings with any of said indicating frets while the movable finger is resting against the strings.

3. A stringed musical instrument comprising a body, a neck, a head provided with tuning means, a bridge, a tail piece, three sets of strings stretched over said body and connected with said tuning means and said tail piece, one of said sets being composed of five strings for producing aminor chord, another set being composed of five strings for producing a diminished chord, and the third set being composed of seven strings to produce a major chord.

l. A stringed musical instrument, comprising a body, a neck, a head provided with tuning means, a bridge, a tail piece, and three setsof strings stretched over the said body and connected with the said tuning means and the said tail piece, one set of strings comprising strings tuned to sound the notes 9, cl, 6, 6/, cl, f, g, the second set of strings being tuned to sound the notes g, a, a, sharp, Z) flat, g, and the third set of strings being tuned to sound the notes g, e, Z), e, the said notes being progressively higher in the order named.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

NATHANIEL RICHARD BOSWELL. EDWIN DAVID WILBER. Witnesses:

F. L. WEIR, DAVID J. OKnnrn.

Copies 0! this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

